Tuesday, 10 April 2012

What reactionary Christians need most are multiple worked-examples

We learn a difficult and alien way of thinking such as mathematics by working-through multiple examples - doing lists of calculations.

Eventually, with intelligence and hard work, the language of mathematics becomes spontaneous.

*

We get the same training in Leftism from the mass media, civil administration, mainstream educational institutions, the arts... we are given multiple worked-examples of how to think in a difficult and alien way that leaves-out God and the transcendental; leaves out objective morality, objective beauty, the imperative for truthfulness; is cynical about purpose and meaning; leaves-out the soul, the soul's survival after death...

and is predicated (without argument) on the assumption that maximising the short term pleasure and minimising the personal suffering of ourselves is the primary goal of individual life; and maximising the short term pleasure and minimising the suffering of approved groups is the primary goal of public policy .

*

So, when a news story is discussed, when a government policy is described, when an educational topic is introduced, when a novel or movie is plotted, when a poster is designed... each is a specific worked example of Leftism; thus by being taken-through multiple concrete instances we are being trained in the way of thought that is Leftism.

*

Leftism (and atheism) is as unnatural as mathematics, indeed much more unnatural (albeit much easier) since its dominance is so recent and localised; yet secular materialist Leftism is so pervasive - and so attention-grabbing and addictive - that this artificial perspective has made it almost impossible for many modern intellectuals to think in a way which was perfectly natural and spontaneous for scores of generations.

*

Modern intellectuals need to be trained to think spontaneously and naturally!

More importantly we need to be trained to think in a way that is amenable to Christianity; because the secular materialist Leftist way of thinking is utterly hostile to Christianity.

To such an one, to the trained modern intellectual, Christianity is simply absurd and incomprehensible.

*

The secular modern way of thinking simply excludes that which is necessary for Christianity to make sense.

Just as mathematics is learned by worked examples of of mathematical principles applied to multiple concrete situations; so the modern intellectual needs to learn Christianity by worked examples of Christian belief applied to multiple concrete situations.

*

Worked examples of Christian belief in practice (especially, in practice under conditions relevant to modern Christians) are therefore a vital supplement to learning Christian principles.

Reactionary Christians can perform a valuable service for each other by displaying (orally and in writing) multiple 'worked examples' of Christian beliefs in modern practise.

This means it is not going to be enough to state Christian principles (the basis of belief), nor is it enough to state the results (the necessary beliefs), but Christians should be showing the workings.

*

My suggestion is that it would be very helpful if Christian bloggers should show - in multiple worked examples - how they personally get from general beliefs to concrete behaviours, in multiple, specific worked examples.